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Goal: Show your character at the beach. Is she playing a game? Swimming? Watching the waves? Looking for new friends? As an bonus goal, have your character meet someone new!

Try to reach this goal by June 17th!

Remember! No OOC-chat in this RP

Abigail

So this was Naida Beach.

Abigail drew in a deep breath, tasting the salty air on her tongue, before letting it out slowly. It was a beautiful place - she had always had a soft spot for beaches, but this was was particularly beautiful. She watched the ocean's waves crash into the shoreline, before retreating once more. The rhythm was calming.

She stepped down onto the hot sand, barefoot, and made her way towards the water. The constant warm wind played with the curls of her hair, and she smiled. She felt strangely alone among all the other beach-goers, even with the loud noises of laughter and teasing and talking. It was in a good way, though. It made it easier to imagine her parents being here, a long time ago.

Abigail was next to the shore, just barely out of reach of the receding water. This was where her father had proposed to her mother. She imagined she could feel them there with her now. It was perhaps a silly notion, but she held onto it, anyway.

Naida Beach. She wondered what kind of things she would experience in this place.

Gertie

"Gertie, look at this one!"

The blonde teenager turned, the glare of the sunlight off the sand making her squint. She shivered as she edged closer, her thin frame wrapped in a loose sweater despite the beach attire of others. Violet eyes followed her mother's pointed finger.

"Aww, it's cute," she sighed, watching the small white crab pick its way across the pebbles in the shallow tide pools.

Gertie could sense her mother's concern without even looking over. She knew that those eyes, a dark brown unlike her own, were perusing her face for signs of pain. She didn't look up, but moved to tuck a lock of the short curly hair back behind her ear, hoping to distract from another wave of shivering. Of course, she knew it wouldn't work.

"Let's head back to the hotel's deck, Trudy-toots. We'll have a better view of the waves."

Mom only used that nickname when she was trying extra-hard to be sweet and persuasive. Gertie pressed her lips in a firm line, but nodded slightly. She knew that looking at the ocean was just another excuse... but it was a well-meaning one. And she was feeling tired. The sun was so bright. She had just started feeling better... it might be pushing her luck to do too much at once.

"Okay, Mom. Could we get something to drink?"

Her mother beamed, reaching out to cover her daughter's chilled hand with her own, warm and safe. Leading her back.

"Of course, sweetheart."

Paloma


This is the life, Paloma thought to herself, No work and all play. My kind of place.


The sun warmed the sand under her feet as she carelessly draped them over the edge of her lounge chair. A cool breeze fluttered her long, brown hair and curled the edges of her copy of PopStar! Magazine. Her bronze skin sparkled in the sun.

Lying next to her was her twin sister, Pamila, who was laying stiff as a board on her matching chaise. She appeared to be doing her best impression of a person at rest.

"REEEELAXXXXX," Instructed Paloma, "Spell it with me now: R-E-L-A-X. You're never going to feel any better if you keep acting like such a stressball. The only reason we're even here is to chill out and enjoy the place so maybe you'd be interested in unclenching your butt muscles and actually sinking into your chair, hm?"

Bridget


Waaaaves!

Bridget smiled wildly as she stepped onto the beach, the warm sand squishing beneath her toes. She loved the water! The feeling of being at a beach just gave her life basically. It always calmed her down when she was upset and made her smile. It was the one place she wanted to be 24/7.

'Nadia Beach is the best.' She thought to herself. She loved coming here. It always had warm sand, beautiful blue-clear water, the best waves, and was always active with a bunch of new people to meet! She re-picked up her purple surfboard and headed towards the water. This was going to be the best vacation yet!

Kassidy

"Wow..." That was Kassidy's first response when she arrived at Naida Beach. The air was soft and comfortably warm with light breezes sprinkled in. Waves here were gentle at best, constantly rowing along the horizon whilst shifting from dark blue to mint green in color. 

Its as if it came straight from a dream, she thought. She gazed a few seconds more until she heard a slight grunt. Looking to her side, she noticed her newly-wed husband figeting as he gathered their luggage. A bead of sweat rolled down his nose, his finger nudging damp glasses back up in annoyance.

"Let me help", she grinned. He always was determined to make things right, and worked hard to acheived perfection. She on the otherhand was fully content with just... being. They were so different, the two of them, yet they complimented each other. They saw things in one another that inspired each. Maybe that's why she married him.

Of course, he really outdid himself. How he managed to book a place this wonderful she didn't know. But that didn't matter, she was happy just spending some alone time with him. And she was going to enjoy every minute of it.

DELILAH

"I've just arrived Mum. No, I'm alright. I'm just wondering what sorts of amenities they're offering in here. Oh, I do hope they've got a library in here! That would be fabulous!" Delilah exclaimed as she dragged her suitcase behind her whilst using her right hand to hold the phone. 

She was suddenly approached by a waiter offering her a drink, "Er...no thank you. It's alright." she replied back, suspiciously looking at the red liquid within the glass. 

"I wonder if that had liquor..." she mumbled to herself, suddenly realising that her Mum was still on the phone with her. She immediately began to respond, "No! No! Don't worry Mum, they have none of those here! As the brochure had said, it's got a 'strong scent of tangy oranges and sweet coconut waft in the air'. Don't worry Mum, I'll be fine- I promise. Okay, love you too! See you soon!" she exclaimed as she said her farewell and shoved her phone into her pocket. She grabbed the key inside her pocket and carefully looked at the digit. 

I really hope there's a library in here. It would be so amazing to just sit down by the beach and read, she thought. "Well, I better go check my room then... Now where is it?" she quietly asked herself as she walked around the resort when she suddenly bumped into a couple who seemed absolutely in love.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" she apologised as she awkwardly walked away, trying to determine where her room was. She looked carefully at each door, constantly checking if it matches to that of her room key. "I'll be sure to check every room just to make sure I'm on the right place!" she said to herself, determined.

Pamila

Pamila felt her eyebrow twitch in that normal fashion for when her sister would incessantly rattle on about...relaxation Ugh...the thought almost made her want to vomit from the anxiety of everything that WASN'T getting done at the office.  Sitting up and lifting her sunglasses to address her sister and look her in the eye, she pulled out her tablet, pulling up a very carefully planned to do list.

"Well, Paloma" she addressed her with a very matter-of-fact tone in her voice, "I am relaxing".  

That was a lie. Pamila did not know the meaning of relax even if she read it in a dictionary.

"You see," she shoved the tablet in Paloma's face, pointing smugly at the list, "I have created the perfect list of HOW I will relax. It is organized exactly how I want it to be. First is lay out on the beach. Check! See we've already taken care of that. Next will be to take a walk on the beach, making sure to avoid jellyfish. Third, we'll walk into the water, ankle deep mind you. So I can feel the relaxing waves against my skin and let the coolness of the water put me in a state of pure relaxation. Of course, once we've done that for five minutes, it will be time to move on to the next item."

She pause to beam at Paloma, proud of her work. Her plan was perfectly organized. How could she not relax with this. However, her pride of having established such a schedule for relaxation was quite genuine as she truly believed this was the only way she would be able to follow her orders of "relaxation".

Lina

She knew her parents thought this was a good idea, but it really wasn’t.

Don’t get her wrong; she still liked swimming. But these days, the sight of a pool just made her feel frustrated and angry.

Maybe that was why they’d chosen to take her to the beach. Maybe they were trying to get her to be able to enjoy swimming again, make it into a fun activity, a hobby, rather than a competition or an achievement.

Still, the water, which used to be her best friend, now felt like a betrayer, and Lina still needed time to get over it. She wondered if she ever would.

“Honey, the water looks nice, why don’t you go in?” her mother said for the umpteenth time, her prodding no longer subtle now but more like actual cattle-prodding.

Lina sighed and closed the book she was reading with a snap, signifying her annoyance. She immediately felt guilty, because it really wasn’t her mother that she was angry at.

“Okay,” she said shortly, muttering under her breath, “if it’ll make you happy.”

She took off her cardigan and walked toward the edge of the water, her expression dark and gloomy. She imagined herself jumping gracefully into it, becoming one with the ocean itself, as if she were a creature of the sea rather than the land.

But her feet stopped right at the water line, and she found she could not move further. She just stared at the ebb and flow of the waves, trying not to imagine the pain that was now all too familiar every time she tried to realize her dream.

Janette

Her friends were right - she had been missing out all these years.

Nineteen years she had lived next to Naida Beach, and for nineteen years she wanted nothing to do with it. Janette had always been too concerned with her own things - school, her inventions, work - and she never really bothered to spend much time at the beach. It was all for children, she told herself, not willing to relent to her parents' pleading for her to join them just once.

Now, nineteen and on her own, she felt like an idiot for never coming here before. The possibilities here were endless, and just the thought of the things she could do to spark her creativity made her feel almost giddy with excitement. Of course she wouldn't show that on her face - to an onlooker, she would appear to be complacent and neutral. Living so close to the beach left Janette with a light tan, so she practically belonged already. There were several others at the beach, but Janette wanted nothing to do with them. She was here for her own enjoyment, not to converse with silly girls who were only concerned with whose bikini was the cutest and who had the flattest stomach.

As she passed by a couple of girls who appeared to be sisters, Janette pulled her long, bright orange hair back into a ponytail and neared the water's edge. She spotted another girl not too far away, staring at the oncoming waves as if they were going to eat her. The urge to say something flicked at Janette's tongue, but she bit it back and reminded herself that she wanted nothing to do with random strangers. By the looks of it, that girl was probably crazy, anyway.

And so without sparing another glance, Janette entered the cooling water and began to search for the perfect seashells for her newest project.

Bridget

A huge smile was on her face as she left the water. It felt like she had only been in there for a few minutes, but really it was probably closer to an hour. Surfing was the best thing in the world to Bridget. Her father had taught her when she was young, and she loved it instantly. It filled her with joy just to simply think about it. It also allowed her father and her to actually have a relationship of some kind. They had always been a bit distant, not really having too much to say to each other, but it all changed when they hit the beach together with surfboards in hand. Now every time she entered the water, she was reminded of her father who unfortunately passed away from old age a few years ago.

But, knowing her father wouldn't want her to be sad while she was actually at the beach, she quickly replaced her slowly fading smile with a new one as she headed towards the shore. She brushed her damp, long blonde hair that slowly faded into a pinkish-red color, out of her face and sat down on the warm sand. Removing the Velcro strap around her ankle that helped keep the board attached to her, she looked around the beach. It seemed there were a few more people since she last looked around.

There was a girl who was looking for seashells by the seashore and Bridget briefly wondered if maybe her name was Sally. She noticed two girls who looked like twins a bit off in the distance. And then she noticed another girl, sitting by the waves with what looked like a pained sort of expression on her face. She felt bad for the girl and was curious to know why she looked so sad at such a beautiful beach. She pulled herself up off the sand, trying to brush the stray grains off of her though she knew it was useless, grabbed her board and walked over to the girl.

"Excuse me." Bridget said, reaching out a hand to touch the other girl's shoulder, but quickly letting it drop back down to her side. She didn't want to frighten the stranger after all! "I was sitting over there and noticed you standing here looking upset. Are you alright?"

She hoped that she wasn't going to makes the girl's day worse by barging in to her life. She just couldn't stand to see anyone upset at the beach, her sanctuary! Everyone should be happy here!

Gertie

There were so many people here. The blonde pulled her arms close around her body, grateful that she was not alone. Her mother's presence, the surest constant in her life, provided enough comfort and stability to keep her grounded. Was this what school was like for other girls? Crowds of people, laughing happily together, too intimidating to approach? She was glad she studied at home instead, with Mom. That had to be better than this.

A young couple, so clearly in love, momentarily distracted her. The way the two interacted seemed so foreign. She felt a brief yearning, that teenage desire for romance temporarily cleared off enough to shine for just a moment. Of course, Gertie didn't know any boys. And what boy would ever want to spend time with her? Still, her eyes followed the pair as she trailed behind her mother's sure steps. How nice it must be...

Abigail

Movement to her side caught Abigail's attention, and she looked over. Another girl was there, hair long and a beautiful orange color, and it appeared that she was searching for seashells. There were two other girls nearby, but they looked as though they were beginning a conversation of their own. At first, Abigail was going to stay by herself, reveling in the cool wind, the beautiful waves and the warm sun. But then she noticed a tiny, but whole, clam shell next to her sandaled foot. It was a pearl white color, with tiny grooves in the shell.

She reached down to pick it up. The white shell looked stark against her dark skin. Deciding that the shell would do better with someone who was actively looking for them, Abigail took a couple steps closer to the other girl.

"How about this one?" Abigail asked, holding out the shell towards her. She smiled, though wondered if perhaps she was being more of a bother than helpful.

Paloma

Paloma sighed. Her sister had no chill at all. Truly, only she could micromanage the act of relaxation. It'd be impressive if it wasn't so incredibly annoying (not to mention counterproductive). 

She stretched out her limbs in one languid movement, slowly arching herself up onto her feet. "Fine then, let's check off item number two. Off we go on a walk. Oh, and you'd better bring your to-do list - just so we keep on schedule."

As she departed for the shoreline, a wolfish grin spread over Paloma's face.

Kassidy

"Ok, that's the last one", Kassidy said as she placed a carry on bag to the side. 

"I could've done it myself you know...you didn't have to help", her love huffed. Oh, how stubborn he was. No one could do everything, its human nature to allow help when you need it. Surely he knew that.

"We both know that's not true", she smirked. He made a small pout in response, trying to contain his laughter at all costs. Kassidy kept her bemused expression, hoping to crack that smile of his. 

3...2...1. She heard his usual snicker, signaling she had won. A little pride stirred within her, though not for long. She looked at her love and was locked in a gaze. Simply looking at him made her feel nothing but joy. She adored that she had that effect, the fact that she made him smile that wide toothy grin of his made her day worthwhile.

His laugh shortened to giggles and stopped once he caught her gaze. Both pairs of eyes were glazed and shining as the two leaned towards each other and-

BUMP! A young girl ran right between the two, cutting the couple off. Kassidy stroked her shoulder, feeling embarassed at her display of affection, or rather what she intended on displaying. She uttered an anxious sigh...she must be looking so stupid right now...

"Oh I'm so sorry!", wailed the girl. She seemed to be lost and was frantically searching for something. 

Kassidy instantly felt sorry for the girl, she must have been as embarassed as she was. "It's alright. No worries!", she reassured. The girl nodded and averted the situation as quickly as she could. Kassidy watched as the girl walked away and was reminded of herself, always searching for something in almost a dream-like haze. It had gotten her to some pretty sticky situations in her younger years, more than she liked to admit.

She felt a light pat on her shoulder, her husband looking calm yet he had a hint of of embarassment in his eye. Kassidy grabbed her luggage and walked with him towards the hotel desk. As usual, he had devised a long list of things they were going to do. He even made sure to put a backup file on his laptop in case something happened to it. Oh boy..., was her thought.

"So, now that we're on our honeymoon...", he said sweetly, "I've devised the perfect list that is sure to make this the best honeymoon ever!" There was that glitter in his eyes, he sounded so sure of what he planned, but Kassidy wondered if he could pull it off. Then again, he did manage to get them here...so she she gave him the benefit of the doubt.

"Alright", he flipped a page, "At ten, we'll go sightseeing...then at twelve we'll have lunch at this little cafe I found. I promise you'll love it. Then afterwards we'll..."

All of these things sounded great to her, but where was the time for just enjoying the scenery? Kassidy itched to just bask to the sound of the waves, away from the stiffness of civilization. She even brought a few books with her, so that maybe they'd read by the shore together. 

No, that was too much to ask...the list was already long as is. She needed an alternative, something quiet yet satisfying.

He continued on with the list, "...then at four, we'll go to the library. At five, we'll-" 

Did she just hear what she thought she did?

"Wait, a library?"

Janette

Janette almost jumped at the voice beside her, but she quickly covered her surprise with slight annoyance and complacency. She stood up straight and turned towards the intruder of her private time, ready to snap, when her eyes caught the shell in the girl's hand. It was pristine and beautiful, perfect for her recreational use. Janette looked the girl up and down, taking in her appearance and her apparent innocence, before accepting the gift. The girl looked hopeful, like she thought Janette would hug her or something, and the thought made Janette's stomach curdle.

"Thanks," she said curtly, hoping that was enough to convince the girl to leave. While the girl looked friendly and Janette had nothing against having friends, she was fine with the ones she had, and would prefer not to risk the trouble of adding anyone else to her life.

DELILAH

After going through numerous rooms, and going through several floors, she's finally found her own room. "221B Baker's Room." she read out loud, looking at the room intently. I'm sure Mum and Dad got me a great apartment. Okay...let's see, she thought to herself. Upon opening it, she was immediately amazed at the quality of the room. 

It was a one-bedroom with a living room, bathroom, and full kitchen. The room had a patio where a terrace revealed a majestic view of the the beach resort's seaside. The room seemed quite old, but well maintained- a beautiful reminsence of history. Delilah constantly walked around in amazement, adoring the room. 'Wow, Mum and Dad must have paid a fortune for this room! A grand piano, a harp, bookcases with antique books! I love it!' she exclaimed to herself. 

After taking a rest for sometime on the fluffy Queen-size bed, she put all her things away and walked to the terrace with a book at hand. 'Tender is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald' the book's title read. She clutched it on to her left hand, then gently placed it by the wooden bench. She looked at the beautiful ocean, then momentarily closed her eyes.

The gentle waves hitting the shore sounded beautiful, almost as if she were one with the sea. A serene feeling, one that she felt she had been missing all her life. 'I...I belong here...' she thought to herself. She continued to enjoy nature's music, when she suddenly heard a deafening music banging her ear drums. "Ouch!" she shouted as she fell on the floor, her ears in agonizing pain. 

After recovering for a couple of minutes, she began to look around and found a section of the beach where a party had just started. She rolled her eyes and slammed the patio door shut; 'Stupid loud music." she complained to herself as she locked the room's door and made her way to the library.

With loud music or not, she will finish the novel.

Lina

She nearly jumped when someone almost touched her, not expecting a stranger to come up to her. For a moment she felt annoyed at the nosiness of this girl—she had kept to herself almost all of her life, too focused on swimming to care about anything else, let alone social interaction, but now what was the point anymore? She had lost the thing she cared about the most. If she shut herself off from the rest of the world, she might as well not have any life anymore.

“I’m fine,” she said softly, not being completely honest, but wasn’t about to start pouring her heart out to a stranger anyway. “Just trying to decide if I want to get in the water or not, I guess.”

Which was true enough.

She felt more uncomfortable as a second girl joined them, declaring herself to be a future police officer. What a bizarre thing to say to a person you just met. Lina wasn’t really a people person, so having not one but two strangers suddenly crowd her and wanting to know her business was really getting to her nerves.

“All fine here, nothing criminal or anything like that,” she said curtly, before taking several steps into the water. Even pain was better than this awkwardness.

Abigail

The curt reply hadn't been what Abigail had hoped for, but she had the distinct feeling that her presence was not wanted. It hurt to be dismissed in such a way.

"You're welcome," she said, trying to keep any acid from her voice, though she didn't think she succeeded, before turning away and fully facing the ocean once more. She wasn't certain what she had wanted to happen with talking to the other girl, but now that it was over, she felt sad, and she had to hold back tears, feeling stupid the entire time. This was what her grandpa always warned her about - that she was too sensitive. That it was not up to strangers to cater to her whims and feelings.

But she couldn't help to feel rejected, even though another part of her knew that those feelings were completely unfair.

Sighing to herself, she retreated a few steps back from the ocean's edge, and sat down on the hot sand, basking in the heat of the sun and the coolness of the wind.

Pamila

Before she had a chance to even put her tablet in it's water proof case, Paloma had headed off towards the water. She noticed the time on her tablet...Ugh! Two minutes ahead of schedule, that darn Paloma...

"H-hey! Wait up! It wasn't time to get up yet!"

But she had to follow her sister. She didn't like that grin on her face either. Sighing loudly, she followed after Paloma.

"Just where are you going!?"

A voice rings out, echoing within your mind. A female voice. A panicked voice. "Help me!" it says. "Please, I need your help!"

Now you see a location of a secluded area of beach, just to the east of the main shoreline. The image is gone in an instant, though it's burned in your thoughts, lingering. "Come to this place... please." The voice sounds weaker now. "I don't know how much longer I can hold out."

And then silence, as the mental connection is severed.

Quote :

Goal: React to hearing the panicked voice in your head. Does your character go to the secluded beach? Does she decide to ignore it?

Try to reach this goal by the end of June 19th!

Abigail

Abigail jumped, hearing a voice so close, but there was no one near her. And she was certain that no one had spoken out loud... She glanced around herself, just to be sure, but she saw no one close by.

Had that sound come from her mind? She knew it to be true, but she was having trouble accepting the possibility.

Maybe she had daydreamed the voice. That had to be it. Right?

But worry began to seep into her thoughts. The voice, it sounded so scared, and weak. The owner of that voice was in trouble, and if she needed Abigail's help, then Abigail could go check out the secluded beach at the very least. And if it turned out to be a daydream, then it would just be a walk on a beach. Nothing wrong with that!

Nodding to herself, Abigail stood up from her seat on the sand, brushing off her clothes. Despite the fact that she felt calm, her heart was racing. She began to  move quickly to the destination that was still burned within her mind.

DELILAH

Sitting at the library, Delilah was finally at peace with Mr. Fitzgerald. 'New friends can often have a better time together than old friends,' the story read. From this simple line, Delilah suddenly realised her loneliness. Being home-schooled was wonderful, however, being secluded from girls her age for so long has definitely taken a toll on her social status. "Right...where would I find new friends when I don't even have old ones?" she sadly questioned herself. 

Deciding to continue the book, a loud screech from a phantom voice began to echo through her head. "Help me! Please, I need your help!" the phantom voice begged. Delilah began to frantically examine her surroundings, but there was no avail. With each moment she looked around, the voice continued to echo through. A location was suddenly burnt into her vision, and she began to freak out. "Am- am I losing my mind?" she began to question herself.

The voice would not disappear, she could still hear the struggles. She has always believed that she had control over her advanced hearing ability, but this time it was too overbearing. "Okay! Okay I'm going!" she screamed out loud as she fell on the floor, cowering whilst covering her ears. The librarian gently approached her, "Are you alright Miss?" he asked. Delilah bobbed her head desperately, then picked up her book and ran out of the library. 

As she continued to straddle through the halls, the voice continued to echo through. "I don't know ho much longer I can hold out!" the voice continued. In a desperate attempt to get rid of the painful shrieks in her head, she began to scream "Please stop!! STOP!!!!" she shouted. Suddenly, the voice had stopped. The deafening pitch was gone. Wiping a tear from her face, she made her way to the location she had been revealed- curious as to what had happened to the phantom voice inside her head. 

Suddenly, whilst staring at the beach, she began to lose control of herself and walked towards the deep sea waters. "A music... a harmony... calling out..." she mumbled as she continued to talk towards the ocean. The waves suddenly halted and became as quiet as mice. From the ocean floor arose a shimmering object; Delilah reached her hand out, and upon receiving the item, a massive light burst had occurred which sent her below the water.

It was minutes later that she found herself on the sands of the secluded beach, the mysterious item no longer at hand nor in sight.

Bridget

"Okay, if you're sure!" Bridget smiled softly at the girl, not really believing her, but not wanting to push it either. "I hope you decide to go in soon! The water is gre--" She stopped mid sentence and casted a glare at the person who interrupted. If there was one thing Bridget hated, it was people who interrupted her in some way. Whether it was trying to stop her from doing something she wanted or interrupting when she was talking, it was all a big nuisance to her.

The other girl looked harmless enough and looked like she meant well. Apparently she was training to be a cop, or something. Bridget wasn't really listening too much, already too annoyed to care what the girl was saying after rudely interrupting. As quickly as the other girl joined the conversation, she exited the conversation. Before Bridget could finish the conversation with the sad looking girl, the girl was gone into the water a little bit. A frown formed on Bridget's face, but she refused to let a random stranger make her sad. She gave a short nod to the girl's back and turned away to find something else to do.

She decided to just take a walk along the beach-y shore, just to think and relax; soak up some rays. Everyone looked so happy no matter what they were doing - sun bathing, swimming, surfing, just walking around. It was one of the reasons she loved coming here so much and so often. It was like Disney Land to her - the happiest place on Earth!

"Help me!" "Please, I need your help!"


Bridget jumped at the sudden voice, stopping. She glanced around and didn't really see anyone near her that looked like they were in danger. Everyone still looked like they were having a blast with whatever activity they were doing. She shook her head and continued on her way down the beach. It must of been her imagination playing tricks on her or something.

"Come to this place... please." "I don't know how much longer I can hold out."



Okay, that wasn't in her head. Bridget looked around again, straining her eyes to try and find someone that needed her help. Not that she wanted someone to be in danger or anything, but this voice she was hearing was creeping her out. If she was able to locate where it was coming from and help whoever it was then everything would make sense. But she had no such luck. Everyone was still laughing and having fun around her.

"I must be crazy." Bridget thought to herself. Maybe she had been in the sun too long and needed some shade. She turned away from the water and headed up the beach a little bit to one of the umbrella's they had placed around. She laid down against the hot sand and closed her eyes.

"It was just my imagination. It had to be. Nothing else made any sense, no one else seems to have heard it or be wondering where it came from if they had heard it. I just need a break, that's all." She placed her arm over her closed eyes and tried to relax.

Kassidy

"Huh? Oh, you didn't know? There's a library just a few blocks from here", her husband said, pointing to a picture of the library from a brochure. 

Kassidy looked at the brochure and smiled. She always had an attachment to books, they housed so much knowledge and fantasy that satisfied her very nature. For a person like her, to dream is a part of life and allowing herself to do so was so very dear to her. She could recall times where she spent hours, succumbing to the imagery of every tale that struck her interest.

Eventually she found her calling as a librarian. Her job was to organize and maintain every book in the library by catalog. But her love of books made her take the extra step of actually reading those books and made sure to give the best recommendations to those who asked asked.

It was rewarding, her job, though Kassidy had begun to feel a bit...bored. She craved something new and as a lover of all things literature she absolutely had to explore whatever else was out there. Naida Beach could very well be the place to start.

...

When they arrived, Kassidy took note of their suite. It was luxurious, yes, satin practically draped every corner of the room with specks of lace in between. The theme was a cool blue with sea foam green accents and had nautical elements splashed across. In the center was a king sized bed that Kassidy immediately rushed to, caring little about the suite's aesthetic. All she wanted to do was read a book and unwind.

"I'm going to grab a few more things", her husband said, "Watch the room while I'm gone okay?"

"Alright", she replied and went to reach for her carry on. Inside she looked at the pack of books she had brought for their honeymoon. "Let's see...", she said, a glint of gold catching her bind. She carefully lifted the book, knowing exactly which book it was. It was one of her childhood favorites, still in it's proper condition. 

Kassidy held it close and marveled at how beautiful the mermaid princess was on the cover. Her hair gently flowing as if it were water itself, while she herself was adorned with pearly shells and glinting scales. She sighed though, and put the book down. Even though it was pretty to look she'd read it a thousand times to know practically every word. Maybe there's another one around-


Help me!


Kassidy froze, whipping her head to see who was there. 

Please, I need your help! Her help? Who was this person? Why was she calling her of all people? S-She wasn't anything- 


Help me! There it was again, this time laced with pure desperation. Kassidy was horrified. Who was this being and what did it want with her?

She backed up, a ghostly presence was near. It slowly consumed her, breath by breath, almost as if she was being taken underwater. Kassidy imagined herself gasping at sea, and struck her arm out physically to catch for air. She continued to breath heavily until she heard the voice again, this time it was very clear the voice was female. Come to this place...Now she appeared suspended over a secluded beach filled with gray sand and brackish waters. 

Why do you want me here? It's empty! There's nothing for me here that can help you! Kassidy wailed, hoping the voice would finally get the message that she did NOT want her here nor would she help her. 

As if answering the voice simply said, I don't know how much longer I can hold out...

Kassidy didn't reply, though she could feel a pang of sorrow from the voice. For a moment she felt a bit of guilt for not helping the girl. The feeling was washed away by a final blast of what could only be described like a tidal wave. Then the vision subsided and the voice was gone...

"Kassidy?", her husband asked. She looked to see if it was the voice again and sighed. 

"Whew. Was about to fall there for a minute, heh", she lied. She tried to think of something to break the awkwardness. "Oh,um, hey you don't mind if I break the schedule a bit and go to the library. There's some books there I've been, uh, meaning to check out"

He looked at her puzzled, then shook his head, "Alright. But I'm gonna take time off the aquarium you wanted to go-

"Fine, fine. I'll be there for just a bit", she said as she exited the door. She knew she was being rude and weird, but she didn't care. She just wanted to get out of there as fast as she could.